Improving your diet usually doesn’t happen overnight. If you gorge on potato chips while playing video games or eat lots of sugary foods instead of well-balanced meals, you probably need to make some major life changes before you can learn how to eat healthy and lose weight.
Why not take it one step at a time? Here are some small lifestyle changes to help get you on the right track.
Try meditation
Deep breathing and creative visualization can be factors in lasting weight loss. According to a study in the Journal of Obesity, cortisol, a stress hormone, contributes to the accumulation of visceral fat around the abdomen. Through meditation and relaxation, participants reduced their cortisol levels and stress-eating habits.
Take your Vitamin D
Your body gets much of its Vitamin D from sunlight, but you can also get Vitamin D from a supplement. Vitamin D keeps your insulin levels in check and your metabolism operating properly.
Get enough sleep
A recent study in the journal Nature found that sleep deprivation triggers the brain to respond more intensely to junk food and weakens the frontal cortex, which controls impulses. It’s a bad combination.
Get a hobby
Having something you love to do (that doesn’t include food) can direct your attention away from thoughts or emotions that may trigger eating when you’re not really hungry. Knitting, walking, writing, reading or even talking to friends can reduce stress and increase your mind-body awareness.
Sources:
http://www.stack.com/2013/11/13/eat-healthy-and-lose-weight/
Daubenmier, Jennifer. “Mindfulness Intervention for Stress Eating to Reduce Cortisol and Abdominal Fat among Overweight and Obese Women: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study.” Journal of Obesity, 1 June 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
LeBlanc ES, Rizzo JH, Pedula KL, Ensrud KE, Cauley J, Hochberg M, Hillier TA. “Associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and weight gain in elderly women.” Journal of Women’s Health, 21 Oct. 2012.
Beauty & Fitness 